Key Things to Know

What Is ADHD

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is now called Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) due to the hyperactive component. People with ADHD can be hyper-focused but only on things of interest.
ADHD is largely genetic and affects around 10% of children, with half of the cases resolving with treatment. It's unclear whether ADHD is on the rise in adults or if modern lifestyles are contributing to attention issues.
ADHD markers: attention difficulty, high impulsiveness/emotionality, time perception issues, poor spatial organization, and working memory problems. Some may outgrow ADHD.
Three main subgroups of ADHD:
- Inattentive ADHD: characterized mainly by inattention and common daydreaming
- Hyperactive/Impulsive ADHD: characterized mainly by hyperactivity and impulsiveness
- Combined ADHD: characterized by all three behaviors (inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness)

People with ADHD can have high levels of focus on things they enjoy but struggle to engage with tasks they don't find interesting. Enjoyment and curiosity are key factors in our engagement with tasks.
Dopamine drives enjoyment, curiosity, hyper-focus, and motivation, and narrows focus.
Dopamine can enhance two neural circuits related to focus: the default mode network (active when idle) and task networks (goal-oriented). However, in people with ADHD or who have not slept well, these circuits may not be synchronized.
Default and task networks usually oppose each other via dopamine but are more correlated in ADHD. Treatment or aging out of ADHD restores the opposition between these networks.